Georgia’s ex-Defense Minister released on bail

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, arrested upon his return from exile in France to Georgia in November, has been released from custody on bail with good prospects for complete exoneration as early as next week, RIA Novosti reported.

Okruashvili, who originally faced four criminal charges, was set free on a $9,000 bail by the Tbilisi City Court on Friday in a case involving charges of negligence while serving as defense minister in 2004-2006.

He was cleared of bribery and extortion charges by an appeals court on Thursday.

He is still facing charges of forming an illegal armed group and his negligence case is still pending, but chances are all charges against the former minister will be dropped as almost all witnesses who initially testified against Okruashvili have retracted their statements citing that they were coerced into testifying against him.

Okruashvili, who was considered President Saakashvili’s close ally before quitting the cabinet in November 2006, made a surprising return to Georgian politics a year later, leveling serious accusations against Saakashvili and announcing plans to form an opposition party.

Okruashvili accused Saakashvili, in particular, of setting up corrupt commercial deals to benefit his family, plotting to seize South Ossetia by force, and ordering the assassination of Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili.

Georgian authorities arrested Okruashvili in September 2007 and charged him with abuse of office, money laundering, and corruption. However, he was later released on a $6-mln bail and left the country to settle in France where he was granted political asylum.

Okruashvili was sentenced in absentia to 11-year prison term in Georgia on extortion charges in March 2008.